Imagine the sound made by a crisp stick of celery... now think about how it affects your experience of the taste. Chef Jozef Youssef and Professor Charles Spence are exploring just that: how our other four senses affect our taste perception and overall eating experience, making food seem fresher and tastier.
Discover more in the full-length episode below.
Our visual senses provide up to 28% of our taste experience. This is a theory Instagram chef Jacques la Merde takes to the extreme. Serving up exquisite tasting plates - in fact made from gas station ingredients - to her thousands of followers, she demonstrates how visual techniques affect our perception of food.
food that looks its best Enhance the flavour of your food by using a variety of colours and shapes to entice the eyesThe visual appeal of food can be enhanced through a variety of techniques. Steam cooking ensures food retains more of its vitamins and nutrients, transforming its appearance. Steam cooked vegetables are richer in chlorophyll and steamed meat appears juicier and more tender.
Discover steam ovensRed foods remind us of berries and soft fruits, so we anticipate a sweet taste.
Fresh, zingy green colours are reminiscent of unripe fruit, promising sour or acid flavours
White foods evoke memories of salt and salty flavours, driving the expectation of a savoury treat.
Creating the perfect taste is all in the details. Well-cared for plates and dishes are essential to the visual effect of our food. According to the Kitchen Theory team you can see a 10% change in sweetness perception depending on the shape and colour of the plate you use. Keeping your plates and glasses in top condition is essential to creating this visual appeal.
Discover ProClean Dishwashers Maximum impact Taking special care of your plates and glasses heightens food's visual appealEnjoyed this episode?
MEET THE EXPERTS